纪录片《文明》 第98期 画卷天堂（22）

It was possible, in the mind's eye at least,

但至少在想象中

to gaze west towards the setting sun

朝西向着落日

and see an unclouded Eden.

有可能看到清晰的伊甸园

Some truly lurid¹ panorama² paintings

一些华丽的全景画由此诞生

were produced in the name of these paradise illusions,

代表了天堂的幻想

all shining with the stage lighting³ of Providence⁴.

都在天意之光的照耀下熠熠生辉

All of these efforts, like most propaganda,

令人伤感的是 和大多数传道一样

were sentimentally⁵ forgettable once the war was over.

所有这些一旦战争结束就被遗忘

But one great painting

但一副伟大的画作

came out of the craving⁶ for landscape consolation⁷.

摆脱了渴望美景的模式

And it was a distinctly unromantic elegy⁸,

它无疑是平淡无奇的挽歌

both tragic⁹ and hopeful at the same time.

同时具有悲剧色彩和希望

The Veteran In A New Field

《在新田野的老兵》

was the work of the greatest, in my view,

在我看来是十九世纪所有美国艺术家的作品中

of all 19th-century American artists.

最伟大作品

Winslow Homer was then just 29

温斯洛.霍默时年仅二十九岁

and fresh from the battlefield.

刚从战场上返回

As a war illustrator for magazines and newspapers,

他给杂志和报纸画战争插画

he'd seen the carnage first-hand.

他见过大屠杀

Unlike the starry-eyed painters of expansive horizons,

不像那些画广阔天空的画家

with their Olympian points of view,

持超图世俗的观点

Homer's picture comes down to earth

霍默的画脚踏实地

and plants us deep in the soil.

带我们深入土地

That soil is both infinitely¹⁰ fertile, bursting with gold,

土地肥沃 充满金子

but also, of course, deeply blood-soaked.

但也浸满鲜血

Homer painted it in 1865,

霍默于1865年完成该作品

just a few months after the bloodiest¹¹ war in all US history

就在美国史上最血腥的战争

had come to an end.

结束后的几个月之后

The traumatic shock of Lincoln's assassination¹², too,

林肯被刺杀造成的震惊

was still raw in Homer's mind.

霍默依旧记忆犹新

In the solitary¹³, epic¹⁴ figure of the veteran, there is, of course,

在孤独又伟大的老兵身上

something of the lonely nobility of the martyred president -

当然也有遇害总统身上孤单又高贵的品质

thanklessly toiling¹⁵, and,

徒劳地劳苦

I believe, also something of Homer himself.

我相信也有霍默自身的东西

Like his namesake from classical antiquity¹⁶,

像和他同名的古典时代人物一样[荷马]

Homer conjures¹⁷ the great themes

霍默创造了伟大的主题

of sacrifice and regeneration and, of course,

将牺牲 重生 当然还有

the endless regiments¹⁸ of the fallen, embodied¹⁹ in the wheat.

无数倒下的军人 通过小麦而体现

1 lurid   

adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的

参考例句：

• The paper gave all the lurid details of the murder.这份报纸对这起凶杀案耸人听闻的细节描写得淋漓尽致。
• The lurid sunset puts a red light on their faces.血红一般的夕阳映红了他们的脸。

2 panorama   

n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置]

参考例句：

• A vast panorama of the valley lay before us.山谷的广阔全景展现在我们面前。
• A flourishing and prosperous panorama spread out before our eyes.一派欣欣向荣的景象展现在我们的眼前。

3 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

4 providence   

n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝

参考例句：

• It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
• To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。

5 sentimentally   

adv.富情感地

参考例句：

• I miss the good old days, ' she added sentimentally. ‘我怀念过去那些美好的日子，’她动情地补充道。 来自互联网
• I have an emotional heart, it is sentimentally attached to you unforgettable. 我心中有一份情感，那是对你刻骨铭心的眷恋。 来自互联网

6 craving   

n.渴望,热望

参考例句：

• a craving for chocolate 非常想吃巧克力
• She skipped normal meals to satisfy her craving for chocolate and crisps. 她不吃正餐，以便满足自己吃巧克力和炸薯片的渴望。

7 consolation   

n.安慰，慰问

参考例句：

• The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
• This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。

8 elegy   

n.哀歌，挽歌

参考例句：

• Good heavens,what would be more tragic than that elegy!天哪，还有什么比那首挽歌更悲伤的呢！
• His book is not intended to be a complete history but a personal elegy.他的书与其说是一部完整的历史，更像是一篇个人挽歌。

9 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

10 infinitely   

adv.无限地，无穷地

参考例句：

• There is an infinitely bright future ahead of us.我们有无限光明的前途。
• The universe is infinitely large.宇宙是无限大的。

11 bloodiest   

adj.血污的( bloody的最高级 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

• The Russians were going to suffer their bloodiest defeat of all before Berlin. 俄国人在柏林城下要遭到他们的最惨重的失败。 来自辞典例句
• It was perhaps the bloodiest hour in the history of warfare. 这也许是战争史上血腥味最浓的1个小时。 来自互联网

12 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

13 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

14 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

15 toiling   

长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉

参考例句：

• The fiery orator contrasted the idle rich with the toiling working classes. 这位激昂的演说家把无所事事的富人同终日辛劳的工人阶级进行了对比。
• She felt like a beetle toiling in the dust. She was filled with repulsion. 她觉得自己像只甲虫在地里挣扎，心中涌满愤恨。

16 antiquity   

n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹

参考例句：

• The museum contains the remains of Chinese antiquity.博物馆藏有中国古代的遗物。
• There are many legends about the heroes of antiquity.有许多关于古代英雄的传说。

17 conjures   

用魔术变出( conjure的第三人称单数 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现

参考例句：

• The word 'birthday' conjures up images of presents and parties. “生日”这个词使人想起礼物和聚会的情景。
• The name Sahara conjures up images of a desert of aridity. "撒哈拉"这个名字使人想起干旱的沙漠情景。

18 regiments   

（军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物

参考例句：

• The three regiments are all under the command of you. 这三个团全归你节制。
• The town was garrisoned with two regiments. 该镇有两团士兵驻守。

19 embodied   

v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• a politician who embodied the hopes of black youth 代表黑人青年希望的政治家
• The heroic deeds of him embodied the glorious tradition of the troops. 他的英雄事迹体现了军队的光荣传统。 来自《简明英汉词典》